During this week I arranged a time with [redacted] from Toyota to go out and drive my truck to find a solution. Unfortunately that day was not windy at all. I talked with [redacted] and a specialist from Toyota for possible alternatives. They suggested to add a foam strip to the edge of the door to mitigate the vibration.
I accepted and they installed a foam strip on the door.
First since Monday we have not had windy days in Laramie to test the truck. I hope next week or during the weekend I can drive around to test the truck.
Second I have attached a few pictures for you to observed the quality of the job done, it does not look a job done by a dealer. looks terrible.
Finally, even if the foam strip fix the problem I strongly believe that is not a long term solution, the foam may change its original shape and allow the vibration to come again.
Today Saturday I had the opportunity to try my vehicle in windy conditions. I drove westbound on I-80 with cross winds. I noticed an improvement but unfortunately the air leak still there.
At this point It Is obvious that the problem with the driver door has not been fixed with cross winds coming from right to left. To reaffirm that on may way back I drove on stronger gusty winds coming from left to right but I could not hear any noise at all.
I was told that the dealer specialists drove my truck for 110 miles trying to reproduce the noise. They were able to reproduce the noise problem on the driver door a few times for a short period of time. They went back to the shop and replace the weather strip. This past Sunday I drove my truck on windy condition and the noise is almost gone.
There still a problem on the driver door, I know that because on my way back when the wind was blowing from left to right I could not hear a noise at all. At this point I do not think Toyota is going to be able to fix this problem completely. The small leak remaining is something that I can live with.
With this letter I consider my problem/case solved.
Thank you [redacted] and [redacted] (Toyota Technician) for all your help and comprehension during the time fixing the problem.
Thank you for your email dated February 12, 2014 regarding Revdex.com Complaint #[redacted]. Even before having received your email we had been conscientiously working to resolve this customer’s complaint of excessive wind noise on his 2013 Toyota Tacoma pickup. The silver lining is that the...
customer and the dealership’s Service and Parts Director (SPD) worked closely together to resolve this issue. Because wind noise falls under the provisions of the Toyota new vehicle warranty the dealership immediately involved Toyota to help find a solution to the problem.
What follows is a summary of the events that transpired with the customer and the dealership from February 11, 2014 through February 19, 2014.
2/11 SPD discussed the customer’s wind noise complaint on his truck at the dealership and the SPD advised that the noise was likely caused by the gale-force[1] winds the Laramie valley has been experiencing almost daily since early January but to be on the safe side he would contact the Toyota technical helpline to see if other dealers had experienced similar product-related complaints. He ended the conversation by telling the customer that he would contact him and have him bring the vehicle in for diagnosis as soon as he discussed the issue with Toyota.
2/12 SPD conversed with the Toyota Technical Specialist as to the best way to diagnose the issue and inquired about any known issues with other 2013 Tacomas. After the call the SPD called the customer and scheduled a “joint test drive” for the next day.
2/13 SPD test-drove the vehicle with the customer at the dealership and the noise didn’t surface except for one brief instant while driving on I-80. SPD requested that the customer drop-off the vehicle at the dealership the next day for further diagnosis and the customer agreed to do so.
2/14 Customer dropped the truck off at the dealership and the SPD drove the vehicle around I- 80 a total of 4 times (approximately 20 miles) and was only able to duplicate the noise one time for about .5 of a second on one of drives. The customer was informed what the SPD had experienced and it was mutually agreed that the next time high winds were present (30+ mph) he would bring the vehicle back to the dealership for further evaluation.
2/17 High gale-force winds were ongoing throughout the day and the SPD and customer were able to duplicate the wind noise on the vehicle and for longer periods of time. SPD applied tape to the door where the noise was generating from and that seemed to eliminate the noise. Now that the noise was isolated the SPD contacted Toyota Technical Assistance to report his findings and get direction as to how they wanted to remedy the situation.
2/18 SPD contacted the Toyota Technical Specialist with his findings and he had been researching the issue from his end as well. He had determined that other dealers were having similar issues and some of the fixes other dealers had implemented. The Toyota Technical Specialist then indicated that no vehicle is designed to 100 percent withstand air intrusion into the passenger compartment in gale-force winds. However, he did have some ideas as to how to fix or greatly minimize the problem. The SPD then contacted the customer and explained that he would like to attempt to resolve the issue the next day based on Toyota’s recommendations and the customer agreed to drop his vehicle off on 2/19 to perform the suggested fixes.
2/19 The customer dropped-off his vehicle at the dealership and the SPD implemented the Toyota Technical Specialist’s suggestions and after implementing the adjustments he drove the truck on Highway 30, north of Laramie, 8 more times and the noise did not surface during these trips. It should be noted that gale-force winds were present during these trips. When the customer picked up his truck the SPD advised him that he felt the problem had been corrected. The customer agreed to drive the vehicle tomorrow (20th) during his lunch hour and contact the SPD if he was still encountering a problem.
2/20 As of this writing (4:40pm) we have not heard from the customer so we assume he is satisfied.
We sincerely hope the efforts described above have remedied the situation to the customer’s satisfaction. We are sorry for any inconvenience the customer experienced and hopefully he can enjoy driving his truck going forward. The SPD will follow-up with the customer again later this week.
Please contact me if I can be of any further assistance in this matter.
Best Regards,
Kenneth D. Robinson
President
Ken’s Toyota Kars, Inc.
It's unfortunate that as of this writing our efforts thus far to resolve the customer's wind-noise complaint have not panned out. I only learned from your email associated with this response that our last attempt at isolating/minimizing the problem by temporarily reinforcing the door-frame molding at the center point of the noise didn't satisfy the customer. For whatever reason he didn't relay this information directly to us before contacting you.
After reading your correspondence I immediately relayed the information to the Toyota field specialist and our Service Manager. The Toyota Field Specialist asked the Service Manager to contact the customer and see if he would drop his truck off at the dealership on Thursday, March 20th so that he and a Toyota engineer can further evaluate the vehicle. The customer agreed to this request.
I’d like to emphasize again that the Laramie area has experienced severe winds over the last 90 days or so with gusts, at times, of 75+ mph and sustained winds of 45 mph for several hours at a time on 2 separate occasions during this time period. The customer states that on March 15th he drove the vehicle to evaluate the wind noise after the door frame molding was temporarily modified. He noted in his email (to you) that after driving the vehicle the wind noise was "somewhat better" but was still "there". According to weatherchannel.com Laramie was experiencing sustained 30 mph winds that day with gusts up to 39 mph (see attachment). Keep in mind these wind measurements were recorded inside the city limits. The wind velocity and gusts on the highway, with no structures to block the air flow, were in all likelihood much greater than what was experienced in town that day. When you consider the fact that the vehicle was likely traveling at speed limit (75 mph) and factor in the environment the vehicle was subjected to before the wind noise appeared the environment must be considered. Even the customer admits that he only experiences the wind noise when high winds are present.
Even so, moving forward, everyone on the resolution team continues to be hopeful that the problem can be mitigated to the customer's satisfaction. Thank you for this opportunity to express where things currently stand (from the dealership’s point of view). Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this response or the situation in general.Best Regards
Ken Robinson
President
Ken’s Toyota Kars, Inc.
2310 Grand Avenue
Laramie, WY 82070
During this week I arranged a time with [redacted] from Toyota to go out and drive my truck to find a solution. Unfortunately that day was not windy at all. I talked with [redacted] and a specialist from Toyota for possible alternatives. They suggested to add a foam strip to the edge of the door to mitigate the vibration.
I accepted and they installed a foam strip on the door.
First since Monday we have not had windy days in Laramie to test the truck. I hope next week or during the weekend I can drive around to test the truck.
Second I have attached a few pictures for you to observed the quality of the job done, it does not look a job done by a dealer. looks terrible.
Finally, even if the foam strip fix the problem I strongly believe that is not a long term solution, the foam may change its original shape and allow the vibration to come again.
What do you recommend for the next step?
Thank you
Today Saturday I had the opportunity to try my vehicle in windy conditions. I drove westbound on I-80 with cross winds. I noticed an improvement but unfortunately the air leak still there.
At this point It Is obvious that the problem with the driver door has not been fixed with cross winds coming from right to left. To reaffirm that on may way back I drove on stronger gusty winds coming from left to right but I could not hear any noise at all.
What do you recommend for the next step?
Thank you.
I was told that the dealer specialists drove my truck for 110 miles trying to reproduce the noise. They were able to reproduce the noise problem on the driver door a few times for a short period of time. They went back to the shop and replace the weather strip. This past Sunday I drove my truck on windy condition and the noise is almost gone.
There still a problem on the driver door, I know that because on my way back when the wind was blowing from left to right I could not hear a noise at all. At this point I do not think Toyota is going to be able to fix this problem completely. The small leak remaining is something that I can live with.
With this letter I consider my problem/case solved.
Thank you [redacted] and [redacted] (Toyota Technician) for all your help and comprehension during the time fixing the problem.
Thank you for your email dated February 12, 2014 regarding Revdex.com Complaint #[redacted]. Even before having received your email we had been conscientiously working to resolve this customer’s complaint of excessive wind noise on his 2013 Toyota Tacoma pickup. The silver lining is that the...
customer and the dealership’s Service and Parts Director (SPD) worked closely together to resolve this issue. Because wind noise falls under the provisions of the Toyota new vehicle warranty the dealership immediately involved Toyota to help find a solution to the problem.
What follows is a summary of the events that transpired with the customer and the dealership from February 11, 2014 through February 19, 2014.
2/11 SPD discussed the customer’s wind noise complaint on his truck at the dealership and the SPD advised that the noise was likely caused by the gale-force[1] winds the Laramie valley has been experiencing almost daily since early January but to be on the safe side he would contact the Toyota technical helpline to see if other dealers had experienced similar product-related complaints. He ended the conversation by telling the customer that he would contact him and have him bring the vehicle in for diagnosis as soon as he discussed the issue with Toyota.
2/12 SPD conversed with the Toyota Technical Specialist as to the best way to diagnose the issue and inquired about any known issues with other 2013 Tacomas. After the call the SPD called the customer and scheduled a “joint test drive” for the next day.
2/13 SPD test-drove the vehicle with the customer at the dealership and the noise didn’t surface except for one brief instant while driving on I-80. SPD requested that the customer drop-off the vehicle at the dealership the next day for further diagnosis and the customer agreed to do so.
2/14 Customer dropped the truck off at the dealership and the SPD drove the vehicle around I- 80 a total of 4 times (approximately 20 miles) and was only able to duplicate the noise one time for about .5 of a second on one of drives. The customer was informed what the SPD had experienced and it was mutually agreed that the next time high winds were present (30+ mph) he would bring the vehicle back to the dealership for further evaluation.
2/17 High gale-force winds were ongoing throughout the day and the SPD and customer were able to duplicate the wind noise on the vehicle and for longer periods of time. SPD applied tape to the door where the noise was generating from and that seemed to eliminate the noise. Now that the noise was isolated the SPD contacted Toyota Technical Assistance to report his findings and get direction as to how they wanted to remedy the situation.
2/18 SPD contacted the Toyota Technical Specialist with his findings and he had been researching the issue from his end as well. He had determined that other dealers were having similar issues and some of the fixes other dealers had implemented. The Toyota Technical Specialist then indicated that no vehicle is designed to 100 percent withstand air intrusion into the passenger compartment in gale-force winds. However, he did have some ideas as to how to fix or greatly minimize the problem. The SPD then contacted the customer and explained that he would like to attempt to resolve the issue the next day based on Toyota’s recommendations and the customer agreed to drop his vehicle off on 2/19 to perform the suggested fixes.
2/19 The customer dropped-off his vehicle at the dealership and the SPD implemented the Toyota Technical Specialist’s suggestions and after implementing the adjustments he drove the truck on Highway 30, north of Laramie, 8 more times and the noise did not surface during these trips. It should be noted that gale-force winds were present during these trips. When the customer picked up his truck the SPD advised him that he felt the problem had been corrected. The customer agreed to drive the vehicle tomorrow (20th) during his lunch hour and contact the SPD if he was still encountering a problem.
2/20 As of this writing (4:40pm) we have not heard from the customer so we assume he is satisfied.
We sincerely hope the efforts described above have remedied the situation to the customer’s satisfaction. We are sorry for any inconvenience the customer experienced and hopefully he can enjoy driving his truck going forward. The SPD will follow-up with the customer again later this week.
Please contact me if I can be of any further assistance in this matter.
Best Regards,
Kenneth D. Robinson
President
Ken’s Toyota Kars, Inc.
[redacted]@kenstoyota.com
It's unfortunate that as of this writing our efforts thus far to resolve the customer's wind-noise complaint have not panned out. I only learned from your email associated with this response that our last attempt at isolating/minimizing the problem by temporarily reinforcing the door-frame molding at the center point of the noise didn't satisfy the customer. For whatever reason he didn't relay this information directly to us before contacting you.
After reading your correspondence I immediately relayed the information to the Toyota field specialist and our Service Manager. The Toyota Field Specialist asked the Service Manager to contact the customer and see if he would drop his truck off at the dealership on Thursday, March 20th so that he and a Toyota engineer can further evaluate the vehicle. The customer agreed to this request.
I’d like to emphasize again that the Laramie area has experienced severe winds over the last 90 days or so with gusts, at times, of 75+ mph and sustained winds of 45 mph for several hours at a time on 2 separate occasions during this time period. The customer states that on March 15th he drove the vehicle to evaluate the wind noise after the door frame molding was temporarily modified. He noted in his email (to you) that after driving the vehicle the wind noise was "somewhat better" but was still "there". According to weatherchannel.com Laramie was experiencing sustained 30 mph winds that day with gusts up to 39 mph (see attachment). Keep in mind these wind measurements were recorded inside the city limits. The wind velocity and gusts on the highway, with no structures to block the air flow, were in all likelihood much greater than what was experienced in town that day. When you consider the fact that the vehicle was likely traveling at speed limit (75 mph) and factor in the environment the vehicle was subjected to before the wind noise appeared the environment must be considered. Even the customer admits that he only experiences the wind noise when high winds are present.
Even so, moving forward, everyone on the resolution team continues to be hopeful that the problem can be mitigated to the customer's satisfaction. Thank you for this opportunity to express where things currently stand (from the dealership’s point of view). Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this response or the situation in general.Best Regards
Ken Robinson
President
Ken’s Toyota Kars, Inc.
2310 Grand Avenue
Laramie, WY 82070